Railway signal locking apparatus



(No Model.)

O. GASSETT.

RAILWAY SIGNAL LOOKING APPARATUS.

Patented Aug..14, 188s;

n 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

OSCAR GASSEIT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY SIGNAL LOCKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part `of Letters Patent No. 283,232, dated August 14, 1883.

` Application mea July 10,1382; (Nt model.)

,To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR Gnssnrr, of Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, temporarily residing at Sewickley, county of Allegheny,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Railway Signal Locking Apparatus; and I do hereby `declare the following to be a full, clear, conoise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure I is aview in perspective of portions Vof a railway-track, and in sectional elevation of a signaling-stationhouse,-and in outside elevation of a signaling apparatus, illustrative of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a 1dei tached sectional View, to an enlarged Scale, of

the electric locking apparatus of Fig. `l.

On many of the lines of railway inthis coun-` try signaling-stations are erected at various pointsalong the line, sometimes at the termini of blocks ,.7 as they are called, and sometimes only at important stations, or at telegraphstations. These signaling-stations, one of which is indicated by the cabin A, are provided with signaling-boxes B, having usually` a glass plate or lens, ll), in the lower part and on each Side or face of the box-that is, onthe faces looking up `and down the track. half-way between the glass plates is usually a white partition or diaphragm, but made with an opening large enough to receive a lamp, b', at night. A red banner (indicated bythe shade lines of b when down, and its position when up being indicated by the dotted lines b2) is arranged to be dropped `down or raised `up between the partition or lampand the front lens, and a like one is commonly usednext the other lens 5 but as a single one is sufficient' to illustrate the present invention, I have shown but one.` The other, if added, would bea 4duplicate of the one indicated. It will now `be seen that when the-banner is raised the white partition will give a signal for line clear'77 yby day, and a white lamp will give alike Sigi-al at night; but when the banner is down it will f give a redor danger signal by day, and (being generally made of translucent material) the light of `the lamp `shining through it at night will give ared or danger signal. The banner About may be raised or lowered by a signaling-cord, g. Normally thebanner should'be down, or at dan ger.77 Then when atrain approaches the station, if the track is clear or supposed to be clear to the next station, or for a safe distance ahead, the operator in the cabin raises the Y banner, gives the signal of line clean7 and aly lows the train to proceed. If it be a passengertrain, .the usual practice in block signaling is not to allow another following train of the v same class to enter on that block until the previous train has passed onto the next block;

but if -the rst train be a freighttrain,with orders to take a siding at some point along the block, so as to let a closely-following pas- Senger-train pass, then the above-described means ofV preventing accidents cannot beresorted` to. In such case. it is usual to display a green or other cautionary signal to the following train, (and this is `ldoneby another like banner Similarly operated;) but this is not altogether safe, since the previous freight-train may break down or be delayed before reaching or getting onto the siding. Also, trains sometimes break in two between block-stations, the forward section passes, and if the operator at the second station happens to overlook the absence of tail lights, he signals back line clear, 7? and the train following proceeds with a certainty of collision.` sometimes vnecessary to run freight-trains-in Also, it is two or `more sections on the same schedule time and at a less distance apart than the distance between block-stations. `If a forward one breaks down, the train next following is liable to run into it. And, still further, where the signalingstations are far apart, so that the block system cannot be fully utilized, the station operator, as a general rule, can have no guide in allowing following trains to pass,

except that one train ymust not pass until the previous train shall hav'e gone by-say forten oriifteen minutes, more or less. The track is then supposed to be clear for, say, six or eight miles ahead, whereas the fact may be, fand l sometimes is, that the previous trainhas broken down or been delayed at Some point out of sight of the signaling-station, and where it has no adequate means of stopping a closely-following train.

My present invention is intended to provide for these contingencies, and I do it by applying to the signal-operating cord an electric locking mechanism connected with a normallyclosed track-circuit in such manner that after a train has passed a signaling-station and the signal has been restored (as it should be) to danger, 7 itwill be locked at danger ,by the action of the train, and will remain so until that train and the whole of it shall have passed off such track-circuit; and such track-circuit may extend as far as rmay be desired with reference to guarding against the occurrence of accidents of .the kind referred to. Assume that the signal b faces or looks up the track, o r to the right, and that the cabin A stands about opposite to or preferably a little to the right of the adjacent end of a track-circuit through the rails" R R, which circuit, of any desired length to the left, is completed by battery h, battery-wires 1 and 2, and magnet-wires 3 4, leading to the opposite poles of an electro-magnet, a. The latter is mounted 'rn any suitable frame-work, D, secured, say, to a cross-beam, D', of the cabin, and in such a position that its armature-lever a may be thrown'into or out of the path of any suitable stop or cat ch on or connected with the signal-Cordy. One suitable form of catch I have shown in the drawings at d. It consists of a solid block, somewhat of the shape of a` Mini ball, secured onto or in the line of the signal-cord g, and at the proper point, so that when the banner is down the base or lower end of the catch-block cl will be in a suitable position to be engaged by the armature-lever a,`so that while so engaged the cord g cannot be pulled down, and consequently the banner cannot be raised; but when the electro-magnet is excited, so as to attract its armature a2, the armature-lever a will be drawn over out of engagement with the catchblock d, and the banner may be raised.

The apparatus is to be provided with the usual retract-ile spring, s, and adjustable stops s s.

It will now be seen that normally the circuit through rails R It, from battery to electro-magnet, will be closed, the latter excited so as to draw over the armature-lever out of engagement with the catch-block. Assume, now, that a train approaches from the right and has a clear track ahead with the right of way. a The operator gives the signal of line clear 7 by raising the banner, and thetrain proceeds. As soon -as it passes he drops his banner to danger, and as soon as the forward end of the train enters on, the rail-circuit it shortcircuits the battery h, so as to cut out the electro-magnet (t from its influence; and the armature-lever a then, under the control of the re trical action through the electro-magnet a will' be restored and the signal-cord will be unlocked.

Preferably the catch-block d is made taperup) with a bush, d', bell-mouthed at its lower end, so that it may be properly guided into its locking position, and a cage, d2, may be ing at its upper end, and it is provided (when added to prevent it from getting out ofplace n Y by going too high. A slot, c, should be made in the lower end of Y the bell-mouth for the free end of the armature-lever.

The structure of the apparatus described, as also the arrangement of its several parts, vrmay be varied at pleasure as regards all matters not material to the invention, and particularly the catch employed may be changedin form, so far as it is an element in the general combination, provided it be so combined with the signal-cord and armature-lever as to embody substantially the operation described. And a rigid rod may take the place of the signal-cord, except through so much of the length of the latter as, in the working of the signal, passes over the pulleys or sheaves,where such are used. The approach may be duplicated for the signal-cord and signal of another line of tracks. Also, by describing the banner as going to danger'77 bya downward motion, I do not mean to limitv myself to an apparatus in which such motion is essential, as by reversing the arrangement of the interlocking parts and counterweighting the signal the same work can be done in the same way with a ban? ner working reversely. Any suitable lform of signal may be used. Also, a normally-open IOO IIO

rail-circuit closed by the wheels and axlel of the train, so as, by exciting the magnet, to lock the signal-cord, may be employed as the mechanical equivalent in the combinations hereinafter claimed of the corresponding `parts herein described.

I am aware that it is not new at this date to electrically lock a switch-lever by the action of an approaching train for the purpose of preventing the shifting of the switch until the train has passed such switch, as described in Patent No. 256,797, granted to me April 18, 1882. Such apparatus involves the use of a track-circuit which extends from the point to be protected-say the switch-outward along the track in the direction from which the train `is expected.` The present invention involves tection is desired forward in the direction of `theimovement of the train when departing, so

as to protect it as against a following` train7 so l that so long as the departing train or any part thereof is on the outgoing block or the trackcircuit thereof it will be impossible for the operator to let a following train onto such block. I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a railway block system7 the combination of a hand-actuated signal at the entrance end of the block7 a'signal-cord, g, for operating the same7 a catch thereonor connectedv therewith7 an armature-lever for engaging such catch7 an electro-magnet 'for actuating such armature-lever, and a track-circuit extending from at or about theV block entrance any desired distance along the track in the direetio'n of the movement of the departing train, substantially as set forth. 4 t 2. As a locking device in Signaling operations, a catch-block, d, arranged on or in the line of a flexible signal-cord, in combination with bush d and armature-levers a, substantially as described. t

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

t OSCAR GASSETT. Witnesses:

S. HARVEY THOMPSON, GEORGE H. CHRISTY. 

